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March 17, 2018

So - we've had both a multi-talented podcaster and musician here for my Featured Creator series, and guess who's here today to chat with us for this third installment? The incredible artist MELANIE J. MORGAN.

I met this lovely human being through the Rooglewood writing contest (I've met so many awesome people through that contest, you guys <3), and I'm super excited for you guys to get to meet her! Shall we get started then?

Savannah Grace: Heya, Melanie - I'm super excited to have you and all of your epic creativity on Scattered Scribblings today! What are a few quirks about yourself that
people might be surprised to know?

Melanie J. Morgan: 1). If the world were made of only peanut
butter, I'd eat the whole thing a bite at a time.

2). My favorite show is Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, a
spin-off of a show about children's card games and probably the most potent
spiritually allegorical story I've ever seen (in its Native Japanese with
English subtitles)...I can, have and will still play said children's card
games.

3). I have a HUGE weakness for well-cared-for
long hair on men, the strong, righteous silent type, motorcycles, epic power
ballads in musicals, beautiful draft horses, fantasy armor, and cats in all
shapes, sizes, and degrees of fluffiness (that last part isn't surprising at
all...).

4). When I grow old, I'm probably gonna be that
Granny who sits on her porch in the sunshine, knitting, listening to Skillet,
and watching Pacific Rim.

Savannah: DRAFT HORSES, oh gracious <3. Good to see we already have something in common! :D Okay, so we already know you are an epic artist (I shared her drawing that she did of my villain from Forgotten in this post), but I'm dying to know - what are three of your favorite pieces of
art that you’ve done?

'Always Come Back For You' by Melanie Morgan

Melanie: That's a hard one. Much of my stuff is close
to me for different reasons. The Seabreeze collection thus far has the best and
most interesting pieces, a few of them definite contenders for
"Favorite", but, while not aesthetically my best work, "Always
Come Back for You" holds a REALLY special place in my heart. The third,
I'm not sure I could decide on. I love my storyboards, some better crafted than
others ("Prince of My Dreams" is precious to me, even if it is old
and drawn with tons of flaws, and features some AWESOME musical help, including
my family's late kitty, who lent his ehm...unique vocal chords; and the ongoing
"Etanun's Lament", which is portionally done and available to view,
but it's a REALLY exciting project that's actually going to be redone and put
into Animatic form with the help of some AMAZINGLY talented people). I know
they're not "polished pieces" or anything, but they are very
important to me. Also, I have a feeling some new "favorites" are in
the works right now, so if anyone's interested, keep an eyeball out!

Savannah: Ooh, I love the Seabreeze collection like crazy, you did an amazing job with all of those pieces! What are your favorite mediums to use when drawing?

Melanie: Well, my favorite classic medium is
watercolors and ink. Yes, together, the soft vibrant colors contrasted with a
stark black is just SO beautiful to me. Otherwise, I just use computer programs
like Photoshop, Corel Painter, and Painttool Sai. I don't exactly have a lot of
room for a ton of art supplies and having the "Undo" button is just
SO useful. Plus, I'm super sketchy, so being able to clean up my work and
separate it with lots of layers is super handy, so even I can party with the
big boys and their clean, polished work...I mean, well, to an extent.

Savannah: To quite a large extent, in my opinion! I can paint about as well as a toddler and that's it, so I'm always incredibly impressed by anyone who can do gorgeous art like you can. Okay, and now I'm curious...who are some of your favorite artists whose
art and creativity you admire?

Melanie: Glen Keane (Disney's supervising animator of
The Beast and Ariel, mastermind behind Tangled), Tom and Tony Bancroft
(Disney's supervising animator of Mushu and co-director of Mulan, respectively,
they're both AWESOME) and Dominic Carola (head of production for Premise
Entertainment) are the first to come to mind. They're SUCH wonderful, talented
men with hearts for God who've helped my peers and I as students (Tony Bancroft
even allowed me to interview him over the phone for my Making of a

'Etunan's Lament' by Melanie Morgan

Christian
Leader course in college, he was SO fantastic and so gracious and did NOT need
to help me as much as he did).

I fell in love with Glen Keane's passion for
the Lord that he poured into his work, I've shared his interview on the Beast's
Transformation with every single person in which the topic of the film came up,
and I still go back and watch it every time my creative heart needs a little
boost. Just listening to him speak, you can feel the Lord's presence emanating
off of him, and it's SO inspiring. If I can't meet him in this life, I can't
wait to party with him in the next. Oh, and Michaelangelo and Auguste Rodin.
Their work is gorgeous. Just flat out gorgeous.

Savannah: *gasps* You got to interview Tony Bancroft? That's incredibly cool - I bet you were on cloud nine, and he probably had some really neat this to say. And what advice would you give to aspiring
artists?

Melanie: DON'T. GIVE. UP. No matter what other people
say, no matter what society tells you, do NOT let it have any power over you.
Yes, you may think your stuff isn't as good as you'd like it to be right now,
but MAKE NO MISTAKE. Someone out there in the world NEEDS your art. Not anyone
else's. YOURS. You may never meet these people, you may never hear from them or
even know they exist. But you were given a mission, and the work of your hands
will touch someone's life in ways that are beyond your understanding. So
whatever you do, don't give up.

DO. NOT. COMPARE. Comparison is creativity's
murderer. There's a reason that saying's a thing. Don't compare your
behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel. Each person out there is
just like you, with hopes and struggles and hurts. And each artist out there is
a potential teacher for you. If you admire their work, learn from them, study
their art, even ask questions (again, they're just like you, they're not that
scary). And don't be intimidated by tutorials or other people's artwork in
general. They are a teaching tool for you, learn from them.

Encourage your fellow artists, those you
admire and those you feel a rivalry with. Chances are, you could end up with a
new, dear friend that you never would've had otherwise. Whatever you do, don't
compare your stuff to theirs, that only opens doors for the darkness to get in,
and your heart will only suffer for it, plus you might pass up the opportunity
to make new friends. Befriending your peers and people in your future industry
is a priceless thing. You can learn so much, and in return, as iron sharpens
iron, you could be a positive influence on their lives.

Don't let yourself have an existential crisis
over your "style". In your life, you'll learn different things from
different artists. You tend to pick up on details you like about other artists'
work, and all that mushed in together tends to become your style. So your style
is an effect, not something you have to actively strive to create. Yes,
learning a number of different styles and imitation of different styles is
useful for work and visual communication, but if you fall in love with another
artist's style, don't be depressed if you can't truly replicate it. You have
your own path, your own story that is uniquely yours, that no one else can
replicate. You'll be fine.

Savannah: ... whoa, okay, so I'm speechless now xD. Your answer was just <3. Seriously, how do I respond to something that epic? (except to say that I think all of that beautiful advice goes for ANY creative souls!) Thank you for that, Melanie. Now I'm inspired to go do something epic!

Alright, back to you - do you have any creative outlets besides
drawing/art?

Melanie: I'm a storyboard artist by trade, so I'm
basically the person between the script and what's on screen. I decide visually
how the story is told and how it communicates to the audience. Soooo it's not
too much of a stretch to imagine I'm a writer as well. I also knit scarves and
make jewelry occasionally and I'm a costumer. I make costumes, props, and am
working on learning costume armor right now. I've been working on costumes on
and off for around 11 years, so I'm...decent at it, I suppose.

Savannah:GRACIOUS, 11 years? I bet the costumes you make are beautiful <3. And, from what I've seen at your writing, you are just as epic with words are you are with art! What genre do you like to write in?

Melanie: I love worldbuilding, so it usually ends up
being some sort of fantasy conglomeration? Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Traditional
Fantasy, Cyberpunk, yada yada yada. Basically anything that's not set in our
current world and super realistic and stuff. I think there's only one story in
the works that does take place in our modern world, and I'm writing it with my
best friend of 20 years, so it's got a special exception. I love pushing the
envelopes of imagination and adventure and action and romance and intrigue and
mystery and all that good stuff. I love creating new worlds and immersing
people in them. I also won't deny my penchant for subtle, witty satire.
Basically, I like a story that make its audience feel things, things that make
your heart soar, mourn, squeal, sigh, and be thoroughly and completely
satisfied by its end (And yes, I like all that stuff in one package, thank
you).

Savannah: "soar, mourn, squeal, sigh, and be thoroughly and completely satisfied by its end" - did I mention that I'd DYING to read more of your work? Those are all the things that I adore in a book <3. What’s your favorite thing that you’ve
written? A piece of fanart? A completed novel? A novella?

Melanie: Wait, something finished? Finished or not, how
do I choose my favorite child?? Well, the only things that are COMPLETED
stories (I have tons of unfinished things and fanfiction pieces strewn across
the internet), are Seabreeze (a Goldstone Wood fanfiction) and A Snow White
Short Story that may become a novel. I write under a pseudonym, so I don't
wanna give too much away just yet. I have a fairy tale collection in the works
(a collection of 7), a novel-length fanfiction piece I'll release online only,
a slew of spin-offs, a trilogy, and a number of one-shot novels lined up...my
goodness...

Usually my favorite is just whatever I'm
working on at any point, then it just kind of joins my shelf of gold-guilded
favorites when it's done (The shelf is just about empty right now because I've
had a terrible time finishing things). Seabreeze, for instance, is something I
love (also doubles in pieces of fanart category), though I know the story
definitely has issues. I'm a big proponent of allowing a little room for imperfection
in your old stuff. Imperfection is, well, human, so everything I create is so
sentimental to whatever place I am in my life at the time I'm writing it. And
looking back on it is like looking into the heart of another person, so I can't
just choose an absolute favorite, because each thing I write is a window into
myself, my past, my present, where I come from, and where I hope to go.

Savannah: And I just went back and read Seabreeze and GRACIOUS, my poor heart </3. That story is so gorgeous, I can't. Out of all the fanfiction I've ever read up to this point, Seabreeze is my absolute favorite. Okay, last question and we'll leave you to your epic creativity - who are three of your greatest inspirations,
and why?

Melanie: Well, Yeshua of Nazareth (Yes, I'm weird and
like His Aramaic), Creator, and Holy Spirit, obviously, I wouldn't be anywhere
without Him. I went through some rough inner demons in my life and I say with
absolute confidence I would no longer exist here without His love, inspiration,
and faithfulness. Even just going outside and seeing his creativity, listening
for His voice, and reading the greatest story of all--the one He wrote Himself,
is enough inspiration for me. And that doesn't even BEGIN to cover how I feel
listening to a good Worship song.

My mother. I know this sounds super cliché,
but, well, historically I've had a hard time keeping friends. Very few of my
peers have stuck with me through thick and thin, and those that have, they have
their own lives now, their own families, so I always feel a little on the outside.
I've always felt alone. My mother is the one person who has supported me and
been with me through everything, the one human person I don't feel anxious
talking to, the one human person I know won't leave me of her own volition. And
she's given me so much inspiration to KEEP doing what I'm doing, no matter what
horrible things I feel about myself.

Glen Keane, as I mentioned before. His zeal
for the Lord and how that flows into his work as an animator, artist, and
storyteller, oh MAN I hope the Lord can do that in my work someday. I don't
mean being as "successful" or anything, I want my work to REACH
people the way his work has. And his unwavering heart for God, oh JEEBERS, if I
could choose any mentor in the world...

Savannah: Oh gracious, yes, Glen Keane's work is amazing - Tangled is an epic movie. And I LOVED what you had to say about your mom! Moms are some of the most amazing people in the world <3. Thank you so much for being here today, Melanie! It was epic getting to chat with you. You're an epic human being! Keep blessing the word with your talent <3.

Melanie J. Morgan is an ambitious prairie dog
living in the cornfields of Pennsylvania, oft masquerading as a storyboard
artist and a writer who, in reality, oversees younglings who sell people
popcorn in a theater of the film variety. The prairie dog has made her nest
with a cowardly dog, a mischievous cat, and parents who tolerate her strange,
hermitlike ways. She consumes stories as fuel (particularly any good, epic
story of any medium that is not live action film/TV) and has a terrible habit
of suckering her coworkers into doing vocals and music for her storyboards. It
would be wise not to allow her to see your talents if you do not wish to be
recruited. The prairie dog is deceptively devious.

Guys - how incredible is Melanie? She's such an inspirational, sweet person, and her artwork is INCREDIBLE. I hope y'all had fun getting to hear from this lovely human being.

Okay, a quick note before I sign off and let Melanie take over the comment section - I updated the My Writings pages with a new thing called The InnerCircle. I'd be pleased as punch if you guys would stop over and check it out ;).

Alrighty, I hope you guys had fun reading that interview! I've got a ton more fun stuff coming up, so make sure to stick around ;).